Key events
25 min It’s time for the first hydration break of the match. (Even though Atlanta Stadium is in fact domed and has air conditioning.)
In other Group C news, Brazil are leading Scotland 1-0.
23 min Saibari gets a shot off from the top of the box in a tight space, but it’s handled by Placide. Hydration break time!
21 min There’s been a frenetic pace to the first 20 minutes in Atlanta. Morocco are trying to send long balls over the top to El Kaabi on the right flank to get behind Haiti’s backline, but so far their two attempts (the latest from Amrabat) have gone too far and rolled out.
18 min Haiti have scored just three goals in their World Cup history. Emmanuel “Manno” Sanon scored twice at West Germany 1974, the country’s only previous appearance. Lenny Joseph wrote himself into the history books with his 10th-minute goal.
15 min We got a glimpse of Haiti’s blistering counterattack in action after they cleared a Hakimi corner. They seem to want a second goal.
13 min Haiti kept the pressure up after Joseph’s goal, and now it’s Morocco’s turn to respond. After a short corner and a short throw, Saibari skied his chance on a pass from El Kaabi.
10 min What a memorable first goal for Haiti at this World Cup – and the country’s first at the tournament since 1974. Duverne sent a cross in after an impressive run, and Joseph’s flick past Bounou put his side up 1-0.
GOAL! Morocco 0-1 (Joseph 10’)
Lenny Joseph has scored Haiti’s first goal at this World Cup!
7 min Haiti get their first chance with a free kick outside the box. Bellegarde’s shot from 30 yards out went wide left.
6 min Morocco had their first real threatening moment in the box with some nice combination play. Fast-paced start so far.
3 min Morocco have worked through the midfield and are controlling most of the possession so far. Hakimi’s first long ball into the attacking third was a bit too long for Al Kaabi.
Kick-off!
1 min Morocco kick off to the back, and they’re under way in Atlanta. (They’re also under way in Miami.) Buckle up for whatever the next two hours have in store!
The teams are walking out at Atlanta Stadium, and the flags are unfurled. The crowd looks pretty, pretty good – this stadium fits 68,239. Fox’s broadcasting crew notes that the Haiti fans have traveled particularly well, despite the fact that their side have already been eliminated.
Both teams are in their home kits for this one. Morocco are in their red shirts and green shorts.
Haiti are wearing the all-blue version of the kit that was hastily redesigned on the eve of the World Cup.
No region benefited as much from the expansion of the World Cup as Africa. Earlier this week, Jonathan Wilson took a look at how the continent’s 10 teams – including Morocco – are doing:
Thiago Alcântara, in an appearance on Fox’s US prematch show, highlights how Morocco will be looking to remedy some of their recent scoring concerns in this matchup. Across the two games, the Atlas Lions have 26 shots, but just five on target and two goals to show.
Can they use this group-stage finale to unlock Achraf Hakimi (five shots) on the right flank and make even more out of his connection with Brahim Díaz (two assists)?
If you would like to have as many tabs open as you possibly can during the next 2.5 hours, my colleague Scott Murray is liveblogging Scotland v Brazil here:
Ayyoub Bouaddi will begin today’s match on the bench, but he’s sure to catch your eye if/when he appears. (Not just for his floppy hairstyle!)
Earlier today, David Pleat spotlighted five young stars at this World Cup who could be destined for a jump to the Premier League after the tournament. Bouaddi made his list:
In a Morocco team conditioned to play first-time passes, he sets the tone with his instant decisions. Bouaddi is in essence the deepest of the midfield three and he not only plays quickly but often finds a colleague in a more forward position. Strong on the ball, he can intercept from his central position and looks to continue his involvement after playing a pass. Bouaddi can tackle and shield a ball and finds space naturally. With his height, at 6ft 1in, technique and football intelligence, he will not be a Lille player for much longer.
Bouaddi is one of the most sought-after talents in North America this summer: our Ed Aarons reported last week that Arsenal, PSG, Bayern Munich and Liverpool are among the clubs watching. (He’s also studying for a mathematics and physics degree to “make the most of his free time”, as one does when you’re an 18-year-old phenom footballer.)
Morocco’s Mohamed Ouahbi has opted for some rotation in the group-stage finale. Left-back Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United), center-back Issa Diop (Fulham) and midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille) will begin on the bench. Real Betis’s Sofyan Amrabat makes his first start of the World Cup after being an unused substitute for the first two games.
On the Haiti side, Sébastien Migné makes a few changes to the XI he sent out to face Brazil. Lenny Joseph (Ferencváros) pairs with Frantzdy Pierrot (Caykur Rizespor) up top, hinting at a more attacking shape than the low block we saw deployed against the Brazilians. Of note: Duckens Nazon, Haiti’s all-time leading goalscorer, is listed among the substitutes, but he has yet to play at this tournament while working back from a hamstring injury.
Team news
Morocco (poss 4-2-3-1): Bounou; Hakimi, Halhal, Riad, Salah-Eddine; Amrabat, El Aynaoui; Díaz, Saibari, El Khannous; El Kaabi
Subs: Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Belammari, Bouaddi, Diop, El Mourabet, El Ouahdi, Mazraoui, El Kajoui, Ounahi, Rahimi, Saadane, Sbaï, Tagnaouti, Talbi, Yassine
Haiti (4-4-2): Placide; Duverne, Adé, Delcroix, Expérience; Casimir, Jean Jacques, Bellegarde, Providence; Joseph, Isidor
Subs: Arcus, Deedson, Duverger, Etienne, Fortuné, Lacroix, Metusala, Nazon, Paugain, W Pierre, A Pierre, Pierrot, Sainté, Simon, Thermoncy
Referee Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Before the World Cup began, Bryan Armen Graham talked to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Ricardo Adé and several other key figures around the Haiti squad about what being back on football’s biggest stage means to their team, who haven’t played a home match in their country since 2021 because of conflict and strife.
Ahead of the Atlas Lions’ opener against Brazil, Leander Schaerlaeckens spoke to Morocco fans who traveled to this World Cup to watch their team. Some spent above the national wage to attend; others spoke of how they are ready for their country to host the “best World Cup in history” in 2030. (They also all agreed that Morocco are the rightful African champions.)
Where do things stand in Group C?
If Morocco draw, they are guaranteed a top-two finish in Group C. To top the group, they would need to beat Haiti and then hope Scotland can either draw or beat Brazil.
If Brazil beat Scotland in Miami, Morocco will need to beat Haiti by Brazil’s margin of victory in that game plus three to have a shot at leapfrogging Brazil to first.
Scotland would progress with a win against Brazil. A draw would at best leave them behind Morocco on head-to-head but four points with a level goal difference would mean a good chance of qualifying in third, albeit teams in later-finishing groups would know what they had to beat.
The Group C winner will face the Group F runner-up (likely Japan or the Netherlands) in Houston on 29 June. The Group C runner-up will face the Group F winner (likely the Netherlands or Japan) in Monterrey on 29 June.
Our full look at who needs what is here:
Preamble
Hello, everyone! Welcome to an eventful four hours for Group C.
You’ve got me for the first-ever meeting between Morocco, 2022 World Cup semi-finalists and technical African champions, and Haiti, who are closing out just their second-ever appearance on football’s biggest stage. A mere 700mi down Interstate 75 (in America, that’s mere!) Scotland and Brazil are readying for a simultaneous kick-off in their group-stage finale Miami. Haiti have already been eliminated, but the other three teams still have knockout-stage hopes to play for.
Morocco are second in the group, trailing Brazil on goal difference, with Scotland well situated to get one of the eight third-place spots. A draw or a win in Atlanta would ensure the Atlas Lions reach the knockout stage; an emphatic win plus some help from Scotland in Miami could see them go top of the group.
On paper, Morocco are considerable favourites. They impressed in their opening 1-1 draw with Brazil, but they left some to be desired when winning by just a mere goal against Scotland and have yet to put together a complete 90-minute performance. Both of their goals at this tournament have come from PSV Eindhoven’s Ismael Saibari. With his goal against Scotland, he became the second African player (after Mohamed Salah) to score in his first two World Cup games. Morocco aren’t a high-scoring team, but a solid output today certainly would send them into the last 32 with some more momentum.
Haiti, already eliminated from the knockout stage after two defeats, are mostly playing for pride, but there are a few milestones they could achieve in today’s match. Their only previous World Cup appearance came in 1974, where they lost all three games and conceded 14 goals but scored twice. A goal today would be their first at this World Cup. A point today would be their first ever at a World Cup.
I’ll be back soon with team news and more. In the meantime, you can follow Bosnia and Herzegovina v Qatar and Switzerland v Canada and email any thoughts to ella.brockway@theguardian.com.
